Special Report: Search Engine Marketing

Consider bidding to push your site higher up on the list when it’s the right time, she continues. For instance, if you sell chocolates or flowers, bid high enough to push your listing to the top in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day.

While you must take into account how high up you want your listing to appear when placing your bids, you also should set bid limits. Says Fischer, if you know that $0.50 per keyword is what you’re willing to pay, set that as a maximum amount. “You also can set a daily budget,” he says. “Based on your keywords and cost-per-click, we have an idea of how much traffic you’ll get.”